The Normal Public Library Board has taken the next step in the project to remove asbestos from the library.
Workers discovered asbestos fireproofing flaking off structural beams in 2020 during a bathroom renovation. The presence of the cancer-causing fibers prevents major changes to the original section of the building dating to 1974.
The board has asked for a bid on full removal of the asbestos, and bid options on other improvements to the newer portion of the building such as a maker space, lighting fixtures, and carpeting. The board has capped the project bids at $4.75 million.
The asbestos abatement will require tearing everything in the 1974 building down to the studs and rebuilding that area. Asbestos was used as fireproofing on metal beams and it is now cracking off and falling onto floors in non-public areas of the building.
The project would take many months and force the library to close to the public, though director John Fischer said some services could still be offered.
Though a study has shown the building is too small for a community the size of Normal, there is no chance of putting up a new building in the near future. Fischer has said the removal project would buy the library 10-15 years of use during which other possibilities may develop.
